Some Days Off Are Better Than Others

The thermometer is stuck at 50.9 degrees. Check that, it just now fell to 50.7. The sky has gone from partially sunny to completely gray, with heavy rain clouds looming about like thugs wanting to cause trouble. And now it is 50.4, and I’m perfectly content sitting here on my couch, all warm and cozy, drinking delicious coffee, wondering what to do with my day off. Biking is now officially out, so don’t bother looking for me out there on Route 12, layered in brightly colored thermal apparel, riding into a patch of bone chilling April rain way out in Elmore. What better time to catch up on some writing, I say.

Although I’m clearly not a die-hard cyclist, ready to die riding in the most inclement weather, I will always feel guilty if I don’t take advantage of a beautiful day and stay indoors. But today, with the temperature now at 49.8, and still falling like the value of an unsold Trek Y-Bike in the twilight hours of used bike swap, I am more than happy to stay put. Maybe, if motivation strikes, I’ll go through my closet and gather enough abandoned clothing for my next yard sale. Or perhaps I’ll watch the new Star Wars Trilogy to see if by chance I overlooked one single redeeming thing about the films. The bathroom could use a cleaning, so I could do the domestic thing and bust out the elbow grease. Let me think about this for a tick: The Phantom Attack of the Sith or scrub-a- dub-dub? Well, considering the time penalty, I guess I’ll go for the rubber gloves and chemicals. With any luck, after the bathtub is sparkling, the sun will come out and I can ride my road bike after all. As a matter of fact, it is now 51.1, and it’s getting brighter out there. Check that, it just now fell to 50.9.

If it were summer or fall, I’d probably go hiking or mountain biking, two activities that are perfectly appropriate for a less than stellar day like today. But it is mud season, and the trails are closed so that they may be eroded away from too much foot and tire traffic while dry instead of wet. If I were still paddling whitewater, I’d be surfing a standing wave in the spring run-off, but I got “Maytagged” for the last time years ago, and anyway my spray skirt has more holes than my story about why I shouldn’t be road biking today. As far as pedaling around on dirt roads, I’d rather watch Padme say to Anakin, “Hold me like you did on Naboo” while disinfecting my toilet. As I said before, I am not a die-hard, and besides, that damn thermometer is still stuck at 50.9. Check that, it just jumped up to 52.7.